History of Broadway

    When people think of Broadway, they may think of that part of the world-famous road in New York City that runs between 42^nd and 53^rd Streets.{#blank#}1{#/blank#} It is a billion-dollar industry that includes theatrical shows in New York and live theater entertainment throughout the world.

    New York's Theatre District has only 39 official Broadway houses. A play house must have 500 or more seats to be considered a Broadway theater.{#blank#}2{#/blank#} Not all Broadway theatres arc located on Broadway. In the late 1700s and early 1800s, buildings on Wall Street and places such as City Hall may have served as smaller theaters, and other locations in downtown New York City also did.

    development of larger theaters away from the downtown area. Some people may have doubted these theaters would be successful, but they turned out to be.{#blank#}3{#/blank#} With the rise of the new theater district, downtown changed forever as people happily traveled to the outskirts (郊区) of the city to see the best in live entertainment.

    When these theaters began, many actors came from European countries. In 1857 actor Edwin Booth helped transform the Broadway theatre by popularizing a type of acting realism. Unlike actors before him, Booth did not stand still on the stage and simply deliver his lines.{#blank#}4{#/blank#} Booth's style had a notable effect on the theater, and many considered him to be the greatest actor of his time.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Specifically, comedies and dramas often centred on then-current events such as women's right to vote, the Labor Movement, and war. Broadway developed again in 1866, and the Broadway musical was created. From then on actors entertained their audiences by singing and dancing accompanied by an orchestra.

    Now, Broadway is famous for various theatre productions and moving performances.

A. In fact, the shows have brought it fame throughout the world.

B. However, Broadway is much more than a geographical location.

C. Theatres, holding 100 to 499 people, are called Off-Broadway theatres.

D. Instead, he liked moving around and showing great emotion while acting.

E. Plays followed a popular style that encouraged typical characters and plots.

F. As this new style grew in popularity, the content of the shows began to change.

G. Madison Square Theater, built by the Mallory family in 1880, was one of them.

    Summer is the perfect time to relax.As you plan for your trip,here are some tips on how to protect yourself. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    Fight against the mosquitoes in the hot spots.

    There are many mosquito-borne illnesses in tropical regions,which are traditionally vacation hot spots. Therefore,mosquito repellent（驱蚊剂）that contains DEET should be an essential item in your travel bag.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    In lesser-developed countries there is less equipment for clean water and public health.If you can't avoid unhealthful water,make sure you bring along a tea or coffee—making pot that will boil water for you.You'd better buy a case or two of water and check that all bottle caps are sealed to assure the bottled water isn't just a refilled bottle of dirty tap water.

    Always protect your feet.

    It's best to wear slippers in the shower,but if you must be barefoot,put a towel down on the floor.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}You should never walk barefoot in any area of a foreign country,including your hotel room.

    Be sure to eat safe fruits.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}They may have been washed in the same water,or wiped with the same rag used to clean work surfaces in kitchens.The best advice is to bring your own peeler（削皮器）so that you know that something clean has been applied to the fruit.

    Enjoy the smell of roadside stands,not the food.

    Unless the food is piping hot when served,it's best to stay away from roadside stands,no matter how good the smell of the food might be.If you are concerned about whether a restaurant is clean,order the food to go.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}

A.Don't trust the local water

B.Any fruit served fresh may be polluted

C.Look out for any water not served in a bottle

D.The boxes may be cleaner than the plate or fork on the table

E.You should know how to keep yourself away from dirty fruits

F.They are necessary to avoid coming back with a major illness from your trip

G.Parasites（寄生虫）can enter the skin of your feet and travel to different parts of the body

    For the rest of March, a disease will sweep across the US. It will keep kids home from school.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}Employees will suddenly lose their ability to concentrate.

    The disease, known as "March Madness", refers to the yearly 65 – team US men's college basketball tournament (锦标赛). {#blank#}2{#/blank#}Teams compete against each other in a single – elimination (单局淘汰) tournament that eventually crowns a national champion.

    Nearly 20 million Americans will find themselves prisoners of basketball festival madness. The fun comes partly from guessing the winners for every game. Friends compete against friends. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}Colleagues against bosses.

    Big – name schools are usually favored to advance into the tournament. But each year there are dark horses from little – known universities.

    This adds to the madness. Watching a team from a school with 3,000 students beat a team from a school with 30,000, for many Americans, is an exciting experience. Two years ago, the little – known George Mason University was one of the final four teams. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    College basketball players are not paid, so the game is more about making a name for their university and themselves.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}About $ 4 billion will be spent gambling (赌) on the event. According to Media Life magazine, the event will bring in $ 500 million in advertising income this year, topping the post – season income of every US professional league, including that of the NBA.

A. Husbands against wives.

B. The players will go all out for the games.

C. But that doesn't mean money isn't involved.

D. College students will ignore piles of homework.

E. People are willing to spend more money on watching it.

F. It begins on March 15 and lasts through the beginning of April.

G. Many people had never even heard of the university before the tournament.

Easy ways to keep your brain sharp

    Everyone is forgetful, but as we age, we start to feel like our brains are slowing down a bit — and that can be a very annoying thing. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Read on for some techniques worth trying.

    ⒈{#blank#}2{#/blank#} 

    People who regularly made plans and looked forward to upcoming events had a 50 percent reduced chance of Alzheimer's disease (早老性痴呆症), according to a recent study. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}Something as simple as setting a goal to have a weekly coffee date with a friend will do. There's evidence that people who have a purpose in life or who are working on long or short-term goals appear to do better. In other words, keep your brains looking forward.

    ⒉Go for a walk.

    Mildly raised glucose (葡萄糖) levels can harm the area of the brain that helps you form memories and physical activity can help get blood glucose down to normal levels. In fact, exercise produces chemicals that are good for your brain. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    ⒊Learn something new.

    Take a Spanish class online, join a drawing club, or learn to play cards. A study found that mental stimulation (刺激) limits the weakening effects of aging on memory and the mind. But the best thing for your brain is when you learn something new and are physically active at the same time.{#blank#}5{#/blank#} Or go dancing with your friends.

A. Focus on the future.

B. This can be especially harmful to the aged.

C. It should be something like learning gardening.

D. So take a few minutes each day to do some reading.

E. But don't worry if your schedule isn't filled with life-changing events.

F. Luckily, research shows there is a lot you can do to avoid those moments.

G. In other words, when you take care of your body, you take care of your brain.

Little Habits Make a Big Difference

    Everything around us is changing at amazing speed, it seems ̶ but some things will always remain the same. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Some of our daily habits have the power to always give us happiness and lead us toward success. Here are some little habits that can make a big difference:

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    Many studies have linked early rising with success. An early morning wake-up carries benefits including better planning and anticipation (预料) of problems, and more time to do the things that make you happy.

    Happiness comes to those who are curious.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#} As long as you live, there will always be something to learn, and as long as you follow your heart and your passions, you won't miss out on learning.

    Believe in yourself and all that you are.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#} Confidence is the key to success—the thing that lets you look at the past without regret, stay grounded in the present, and prepare for the future without fear.

    A day well spent gets you a good night sleep.

    Enough sleep makes you feel healthier and happier, and it's more than lifting up your mood or removing exhaustion. Adequate sleep is a key part of your health and inner happiness. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

    It doesn't take a huge effort to make a significant change in your life—using one or two tiny habits may be all you need. Get started today and you'll soon be experiencing the rewards.

    I'm a survivor of atomic bombing (原子弹轰炸)of Nagasaki, Japan. I was born on December 25, 1944, so when the bombs fell on Nagasaki and Hiroshima, I was only nine months old. My family were not even in the city of Nagasaki. We were outside. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    There are three ways that atomic bombs can kill you. One is the blast (冲击波). That knocks down all the buildings nearby. The second is the fireball. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}And those who were touched by the fireball disappeared immediately. And the third way is the radiation (辐射).

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    I remember both my mother and my sister were sick in bed. And when I was six, they died.

    When my sister died, I heard her doctor tell my father that I wouldn't live to see my tenth birthday. So I knew that I was not going to live long. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}Whenever I get a simple cold, I thought this might be the end of my life.

    I also felt that it was wrong for me to stay alive. Why did my sister and my mother, who were wonderful people, had to die? And yet L, who am not worthy, am still alive? {#blank#}5{#/blank#}It kills everything on its way. It kills slowly. and painfully.

    If the United States is attacked with radioactive weapons, millions of people will die. If North

    Korea is attacked, Korea, Japan, part of China and even Russia will be affected I want all nations to come together and start finding a way of getting rid of nuclear weapons altogether.

A. But I always took good care of myself.

B. There was a huge fireball in both cities.

C. Therefore, I was always worried about my health.

D. The radioactive dust was what started killing our family.

E. It always does much more harm than good to human being.

F. This feeling is the kind of weapon that shouldn't be allowed on the earth

G. However, radiation from the bombing went far beyond the city limits and harmed us.